Two Iowa residents face human trafficking charges in South Carolina

Two Iowa residents are facing human sex trafficking charges in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, that allege they trafficked a 16-year-old girl through five states, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the Myrtle Beach Police Department.

Mark Cortez Spicer, 23, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested Saturday by Myrtle Beach police. He is being held without bail in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County, South Carolina.

Spicer is facing a charge of trafficking in persons, as well as charges of assault and third-degree assault and battery.

Spicer also is being held on fugitive warrants out of Iowa, where he is wanted in Grundy County where he is facing charges of forgery and identity theft, as well as a burglary case in Delaware County, and for violating his probation in a 2015 burglary case in Linn County.

On Thursday, DeWitt police arrested Phylicia Marie King, 27, on the Myrtle Beach warrant of trafficking in persons. According to Clinton County District Court records, King has waived extradition to South Carolina. Her bond is set at $10,000 cash only.

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An affidavit alleges that the Spicer, King and the victim went to Myrtle Beach on Aug. 13 after passing through Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; and, Atlanta, Georgia.

Sex acts took place in all five states with King allegedly posting sex ads online.

Under South Carolina law, a person convicted of a first offense of trafficking faces a prison term of up to 15 years. If the victim is below the age of 18, an additional term in prison of 15 years may be imposed and must run consecutive to the initial prison term for trafficking.

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